Alabama, Mississippi are fastest growing U.S. solar markets

SOLAR: Data show eight of the 10 fastest growing U.S. solar markets in the past year were states won by President Trump in 2016, with Alabama and Mississippi topping the list. (Reuters)

ALSO:
• First Solar Inc. said on Thursday it supports tariffs on imports, siding with the trade complaint from Georgia-based Suniva Inc. and placing it in opposition with most of the solar industry. (Bloomberg)
• At least three eastern North Carolina counties want to end property tax breaks for solar farms. (Virginian-Pilot)

GRID:
• Democratic lawmakers on Thursday accused the Trump administration of falsely suggesting the U.S. grid faces severe problems in order to boost the coal and nuclear energy industries, while Energy Secretary Rick Perry defended a proposed subsidy. (Associated Press, WV Public Broadcasting)
• A look at what the Trump administration’s coal and nuclear energy subsidy programs could mean. (Alabama Public Radio)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Kentucky politicians are divided over the Trump administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan though many Appalachia lawmakers overwhelmingly support the move. (Courier-Journal, NPR)

CLIMATE: Most Americans polled think weather disasters, including Hurricane Irma, are more severe than in the past and many think climate change plays a part. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS: A South Carolina state senator told a U.S. House panel that oil and gas exploration off the state’s coast is an economic opportunity. (South Strand News)

COMMENTARY:• Advocates say evidence is mounting that the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is a bad deal for both Virginia’s economy and the environment. (Natural Resources Defense Council)
• The EPA and the Trump administration’s move to repeal the Clean Power Plan isn’t going to bring back the coal industry. (EcoWatch)
• If South Carolina’s utility customers get refunds for the billions paid for the now-abandoned Summer nuclear project, it probably will be the result of changes made decades ago to the state’s constitution. (The State)
• It is unwise for the Trump administration to repeal the Clean Power Plan without offering a replacement. (Post and Courier)
• Two professors say President Trump’s policies will harm coal-dependent communities rather than help them and, in some cases, could worsen their decline. (The Telegraph)